COVID-19 IMPACT ON ROAMING SURVEY: MOBILE OPERATORS SURVEYED REPORT SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ROAMING TRAFFIC & WHOLESALE REVENUES, DELAYS TO 5G & VoLTE ROAMING PLANS
13th May 2020, London, UK: Operators are witnessing significant impact on mobile roaming traffic due to COVID-19, with nearly 70% reporting a fall in traffic between 25-95%, according to a new survey from roaming experts Kaleido Intelligence. Meanwhile, 35% of the participants noted delays to 5G roaming rollout plans.
Kaleido conducted an industry survey in April 2020 to understand the impact of COVID-19 on Mobile Roaming. The questionnaire, developed by Kaleido in partnership with leading industry stakeholders, focussed on the impact on roaming traffic and revenues, as well as timescales for 5G roaming and VoLTE deployment.
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Nitin Bhas, Strategy & Insights Lead at Kaleido explained: “In line with Kaleido’s latest roaming traffic update, all the respondents confirmed that global mobile roaming traffic has indeed dropped to varying degrees, with falls in traffic observed at 10-25% by 17% of respondents and 25-50% by 44% of survey participants.”
Key findings from the survey
- Around 37% of the respondents noted that wholesale revenues are down by 10-25%, compared to 29% reporting a considerable negative impact of between 25-50%.
- Participating MNOs are currently in the process of implementing or planning necessary steps to protect roaming revenues in the short and medium term, with renegotiating wholesale agreements and tariffs high on their priority list.
- The majority of the respondents expect roaming revenues to recover in H1 2021, representing 43%, compared to 12.5% expecting recovery during H2 2021.
- Only 11% confirmed that VoLTE roaming rollouts will continue as planned pre-COVID-19.
- Survey respondents remained confident about the impact COVID-19 will have on IoT Roaming traffic growth: Nearly 80% expect IoT Roaming traffic to continue growing.
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About Kaleido Intelligence
Kaleido Intelligence is a specialist consulting and market research firm with a proven track record delivering telecom research at the highest level. Kaleido Intelligence is the only research company addressing mobile roaming in its entirety, covering:
- Data Forecasts by Market
- Historical & Forecast Viewpoints
- Competitive Intelligence
- Strategic Insight
- Trend Analysis
Research is led by expert analysts, each with significant experience delivering telco research and insights that matter.